A hang glider is a lightweight, kite-like glider from which a harnessed pilot hangs while gliding down from a hill or cliff. A hang glider includes a sail that provides lift to the glider and pilot as the glider cuts through the air. The pilot wears a flight harness that is attached to the glider at a single, centralized "hang point". When the flight harness is properly hooked in, the pilot is held suspended beneath the sail with his hands resting on the glider control bar. The pilot manipulates the glider control bar to simply shift his weight relative to the hang point and thereby control the speed and direction of glider movement.
Hang gliding is an exhilirating sport that comes as close as is presently possible to allowing man to soar like a bird in free flight. Those who have experienced the phenomenon are left with a feeling of awe. The senses are simply overwhelmed as the air brushes over your face and plays against the sail of the glider while the ground rushes by below. There is simultaneously experienced both a sense of total peace and excitement. It is these abstract qualities that probably best explain the ever increasing popularity of the sport.
While the number of hang gliding enthusiasts continues to grow, it must not be overlooked that there is a dark side to the sport. Hang gliding is an inherently dangerous activity. There are a number of ways in which a hang glider pilot may be injured or even killed. One of the primary ways is the failure of the pilot to remember to hook in his flight harness on the hang glider prior to launch.
When a pilot fails to properly hook in, the pilot simply cannot hold onto or control the hang glider after launch. The problem is particularly critical where the pilot is launching from a cliff. There is no room for error during such a launch and a failure to properly hook in would likely cause serious injury or even death.
Up to the present point in time, the only way to avoid a failure to properly hook in was for the pilot to deVelop his or her own habit pattern. Typically such a pattern includes a "hang check". The pilot conducts a hang check by attempting to hang under the sail of the glider before lifting the glider from the ground for launch. When properly hooked in, the pilot is suspended with his weight supported by the flight harness attached to the glider at the hang point. If not properly hooked in, the pilot conducting a hang check simply drops to the ground. When this occurs, the pilot is, of course, alerted to the fact that he is not properly hooked in. The pilot can then proceed to hook in his harness prior to launch.
The problem with relying on such a habit pattern is, of course, obvious. There are many distractions that could break the pattern. For example, wind conditions may be fluctuating and thereby divert the pilot's attention. The pilot may also be closely watching other gliders in flight in the launch area and forget not only to properly hook in but also to conduct a hang check to verify this condition.
The risk that a distraction may break the habit pattern is simply not acceptable given the severe consequences of a failure to properly hook in. This is particularly true when it is realized that the problem of failure to hook in is totally preventable. A need, therefore, is identified for an apparatus to improve the safety of hang gliding by eliminating this statistically significant cause of hang gliding accidents.